Aeration-cell for flotation apparatus



E. W. ENGELMANN AND W. T. MACDONALD.

AERATION CELL FOR FLOTATION APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED oc. I6, I9I8.

1,344, 123. Patented June 22,1920.

BY um /du'qf ATTORNEY UNITED STATESI PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD W. ENGELMANN AND WILLIAM T. MACDONALD, or HAYDEN, ARIZONA.

AERATION-CELL FOR FLOTATION APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, -1920.

Application. led October 16, 1918.\ Serial No. 258,450.

T0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that We', EDWARD W. ENGEL- MANN and WILLIAM T. MACDONALD, citizens of the United States, residing at Hayden, in-the county of Gila and Statey of Arizona, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Aeration-Cells for Flotation Apparatus, of which thelfollowing is a specification. f

This invention relates to aeration cells for distributing gaseous medium containing flotation agent into the ore pulp in flotation a paratus. Such cells are advantageous y madeas baskets or chambers with porous mats through which the compressed gaseous 'medium is forced, and, for the sake of convenience in construction and permanence in operation, it has been found desirable to make the cells of concrete, the mats being made of porous concrete set in baskets of dense, impervious concrete. The construction heretofore adopted for this purpose comprised a molded concrete body formed with vthe chambers for distributingl the gaseous medium carrying flotation agent (so as to cause `oilingaeration) and also formed with -chambers for distributing gaseous medium alone for producing further aeration, the several .chambers or compartments of such construction being se arated by found that with such a construction there is liable to be more or less escape or leakage of p the gaseous medium carrying flotation agent,

-through cracks or flaws in the concrete, walls or partitions, with the result that the fiotation agent is eitherv lost or ,improperly distributed. The maingobject of the present invention is toso construct the distributing means or aeration cells as to avoid any such escape or leakage of flotation agent.

Another lob] ect of theinvention 1s to provide a unit or individual cell construction adapting the cell for insertion and removal, in the vmost convenient manner, so as to facilitate the construction, replacement or repair thereof. f

The accompanying drawings 'illustrate' embodiments of our invention, and referring thereto: Y

Figure 1 is a transverse section of a flotation cell, provided with our'improved aeration cell or gas 'distributing means; l 'Y Fig. 3 lis a. section of the aeration cell,

Fig. 1;

concrete grouting `molded in the space thus provided.

partitions of dense concrete. Vie have with the porous 'of the box, below Fig. 4 is a longitudinalsection of the metallic lining of said cell;

Fig. 5 is a section on l1ne 5 5 of Fig. 4;

Fig.v 6 is a plan viewof said lining; F ig. 7 is a trans-verse section of a modified `form of the cell;

Fig. 8 is'a transverse section of another modification Fig. 9 is a transverse section of a flotation cell-showing amodified arrangement of the gas distributing means. f

The form of our invention shown in Figs. 1 to 6 comprises a cell or chamber a formed with a metallic lining or boxi, preferably of sheet metal, water and'lgas-tight at the bottom, sides and ends and open at.the top.; and a mat A2 of porous concreteI set in the top 'of said boX and making a gas tight joint therewith by means of a filling 3 of dense concrete. joining and sealing said porous. concrete mat to the walls of the box. The porous mat 2 may be pre-formed and then secured in position by pouring in dense between it and the walls of the box 1, or the position first and theporous concrete thn n either case, we prefer to providea flange 4 aroun'd the inner face of the walls ofy box 1 on which the filling 3 is supported, and the sides ofthe ,porous mat are preferably flared outwardly and upwardly to give a better support therefor.

An air inlet pipe 8 is mounted so asto For con- 9 of a portion ed in the top of the box and resting on the fiange 4said plug making 4a gas tight joint mat 2 and with the pipe. The lower end of pipe may be set in a fior/ body 10l of dense concrete molded -on the bottom of boxy Land said pipe may have lateralfoutlets 8 opening into the interior I the mat 2. The members 2 and!)Y extending over thetop of thefbox 1 ma' be reinforced, as indicated at 11. In orl er to' facilitate drainae of any li uid from the boxl, the floor bo y 10 mayinc ine toward fone end, and adrain pi 'e 12 may enter the-box at. that endat the owest part of the floor. Apipe 13-may also Vcommunicate withthe` interior of the box; for su ply of steam or air for cleaning outt e box whennecessary. vThe pipes 124 and 13 filling 3 may be molded in vtion cella may are secured to the metal box 1 in such manner as to make gas tight joints therewith.

The cell constructed as above described may be assembled as an individualunit and then mounted in position in a flotation cell or apparatus in any suitable manner, for example, as shown in Figs. l` and 2, abed of dense concrete 15 being molded in position at the bottom of the flotation tank 16, so as to form the floor of such tank, and such bed embedding the individual aeration cell unit above described, as part of the floor, the-top of the porous mat 2 being flush with the floor surface, or if desired, above or below the same. In Figs. 1 and 2, we have shown one cell of a flotation tank, such cell being formed by partition walls 16a spaced from the bottom'to permit flowof pulp and fluid along the bottom of the tank, such flow being regulated by means of the sliding gates 16", the height of which may be adjusted as desired. It will be apparent that any desirable number of these cells may `be provided in the tank, but sinceour present invention resides in the gasifying celly structure, we lhave not thought it necessary to further amplify the showing. For example, as shown in Fig. 9, the cell a may be positioned clear above the floor 15 of the flotation tank.. Y, In case the floor of the flotation apparatus is inclined, as shown in Fig. 2, the upper face .of the mat 2 may also be co'rrespondingly inclined, or it may be level. A-

launder 17 is provided for collection of the concentrates. The floor or bedly `of the flotation tank is shown in Fig. 2 as provided with additional aeration chambers b separated by dense or' impervious concrete partitions 2() molded in the said bed and provided withl porous mats 21 above the-same, air being supplied to the chambers b by "pipes 40, for example. 'An important feature of our invention in connectioILwith such a construction of aeration cells, (providing for air distribution by chambers following oiling aeration by cell a), is that leakage of oil or other" flotation agent from the cell a to chambers b' is avoided. The individual aerahave a wall of dense Vconcrete In the operation ofthe apparatus, compressed air or other gas carrying flotation agent, preferably in the form of vapory (for example vapor of any suitable flotation oi'l or of tarry material) is supplied to cell a through pipe 8 and passes through the porous mat 2 in the form of fine streams or jets, producing bubble columns which distribute the flotation agent into the ore pulp flowing in the flotation cell, and also effect aeration of the pulp with such agent. This operation, in connection with the subsequent aeration by aeration cells b, produces flotation of,the mineral values in the ore pulp.

Various modifications may be, made in the aeration cell without departing from our invention; for example, as shown in Fig. 7,

the porous mat, indicated at 27, may rest on moldedaround and under the same (as in,

dicated at 19 in Fig. 3), and the unit sol formed-may be molded into the floor ofthe flotation cell, or the metal box 1 may be directly molded into suchfloor. In either case,

the construction is individual, in that the unit is, or may be, assembled or constructed before it is placed and molded into position, and it may be removedas a whole and replaced or repaired with little difliculty. 7Vith a view of the cell unit in position, the several pipes 8,112 and 13 leading thereinto are preferably connected by unions or couplings, such as indicated at 23, 24 and 25, to thel various p1pe connections therefor.

to facilitatingY such assembling:

` Or, as shown .in Fig. 8, the porous cated at 30, may be molded in an y extend into the said chamber,

the flange 4 of the metal box 1 and may be held in position by a luting 28 of dense cement or grouting, which also seals the joint between the mat and the walls of the box.

mat, indiupper sect`on 31 of the box, said upper section being secured to the lower section 32 of the box by flanges 33 and bolts 34, or otherwise, suit able'lpacking 35 beingprovided at the joint between said sections to make the joint gas- I tight. Flanges 36 on the upper section may porous mat to reinforce and anchor the same. With the constructions shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the porous mat may be easily removed without disturbing the box as a whole.

- What we claim is: x

1. A gas distributing means for flotationv apparatus comprising a cell having impervious concrete sides and a porous concrete top. 2. A gas distributing means for flotation apparatus, comprising a metallic box having an inwardly extending flange, a porous concrete mat forming the top of the box and supported on sa'id flange and sealed to the sides of the box, and a pipe communicating with the interior ofthe box for supplying compressed lgas thereto.

3. A gas distributing means for flotation apparatus, comprising a concrete` structure formed with a' chamber, a metallic liningv in a; mat of porous concrete forminga top for said chamber, andpipe meansA for supplying compressed gas to said chamber.

4. A gas. distributing means for flotation apparatus comprising a structure of dense concrete formed with a chamber, a metallic lining at the sides, ends and bottom'of said chamber, and tending flanges, a porous mat forming the top of said chamber and a filling of` dense concrete resting on said flanges and supporting said mat. j

5. In an aeration-flotation apparatus, a cement structure provided with a. plurality' provided with inwardly ex!4 Aagent to another of said chambers,

` structure provided WithV a plurality of cham bers, each chamber having a porous member for distributing gas through the material in the cell, means for supplying compressedl With vapor of flotation agent, said chambers, and means for flotation and impervious Walls in said concrete structurebegas, together to certain of supplying compressed gas Without tween said last named chamber and the adjacent chambers.

7. A gas distributing means for flotation apparatus comprising a cell having impervious 'concrete sides and a porous concrete top, a gas supply pipe extending through` said porous top and a plug of impervious material surrounding said pipe. I

In testimony whereof We have, hereunto subscribed our names this seventh day oi October, 1918.

, EDWARD W. ENGELMANN.

WILLIAM T. MACDONALD. 

